THE SOUL LIBRARY

THE SOUL LIBRARY is a book-lover’s weekly healing circle, where together we journey through soul-nourishing, inspirational books.

Our aim is not to ‘fix’ ourselves, but to make peace with the ebbs and flows of growth, of life and transitions, of being human.

Imagine having a team of personal cheerleaders, supporting and encouraging you through your buoyancy and your joy, through your struggles and your pain. A circle of fellow humans walking with you, championing you, no matter what mood you’re in or what’s going on in your life.

This is the Soul Library.

If you’ve ever felt the frustration and sadness of not being truly seen or heard, of not being fully accepted for who you are, then this is the medicine.

“Olivia’s Soul Library is the most calming, supportive group I’ve ever been a part of. I truly feel I can be myself and I can be seen. the space that she holds is so special. I feel more myself in the world after I’ve met with everyone.  It feels both empowering and gentle, and really beautiful – like true connection. She’s amazing, and the Soul Library has been life-giving and life-altering in a very positive way.” ~ Shannon H.

THE CIRCLE

 • We meet once a week in a deeply nourishing, safe and loving space, to share our hearts, our stories, our experiences.

 • We read inspirational, transformational books at a very gentle pace, sharing with each other our experiences and insights about what we’ve read each week. Our conversations are based on what we read but extend and encompass so much more. We breathe life into the words on the page.

 • We explore and experience tools and techniques to support our individual healing journeys.

 • We hold space for ourselves and each other, welcoming all emotions, all moods, all experiences. This is a space for laughter and for tears, for joy and for pain.

 • We show up as our glorious, shining, authentic, wounded, imperfect selves and come together to form a truly unique healing circle.

This is a community where our stories no longer have to be swallowed, they can be shared.

Choose the time slot that works for you –

IN-PERSON

 •  Monday 10-11.30am

open to people of all genders

 •  Wednesday 7.30-9pm

open to all who identify as women

 •  Sunday 10.30-12pm

open to all who identify as women

ONLINE

 • Monday 7.30-9pm

open to all who identify as women

WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE

• You will be part of a community of people all deeply committed to their own healing and equally committed to supporting you thrive.

•  You will be given the opportunity to share openly and freely about your own experience in an attentive, non-judgmental environment.

• You will be listened to, supported and held unconditionally.

• You will receive mountains of inspiration and motivation for your own, independent self-care and meditative practices.

• You will form nourishing connections with other people, who may well become life long friends.

Witnessing is one of the extraordinary powers of community. There are certain passages and initiations that require the presence of others to help hold the bigness of the new narrative while it stabilises in our bodies, minds and hearts.

Bearing witness is also a privilege, as it awakens a symmetry of transition in our own becoming.

~ Toko-pa Turner

Every single human shares the same basic needs – to be seen, to be heard, to be known. We are wired for connection with other humans. We are wired to seek safety – physically and emotionally – above all else.

Being witnessed and bearing witness are therefore integral for our growth, our expansion, our transformation.

In every day relationships this doesn’t always happen. We often become so wrapped up in our own stories and own patterns, slaves to our minds and nervous systems, that we’re unable to hold space for the people who most trigger us.

When sitting in circle, we are gifted a precious opportunity to readdress our patterns, reengage our thoughts and re-emerge into those previously troubled relationships, eyes and bodies afresh.

It makes me believe in magic.

me niki ginny

HOW TO DECIDE IF THIS CIRCLE IS FOR YOU

The Soul Library is for you if:

• you’re already on a personal healing journey and would like to deepen your commitment to yourself

• you’re looking for a deeply supportive community of like-minded people

• you love the kind of books that we read with our hearts, not our heads

• you’re looking for more inspiration and motivation to maintain and expand your spiritual/ self-care practises

• you’re looking for a circle where trust and relationships build between members, instead of more anonymous one-off events

• you’re in recovery from addiction/ mental health challenges and you’d like more support for your journey

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW OFTEN IS THE CIRCLE?
 
The Soul Library circle is held once a week, for 1.5 hrs.
 
 
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE IN THE CIRCLE?
 
Membership is limited to 10 members. This allows for trust and intimacy to build within the group, and time & space for everyone’s voices.
 
At any one time there may be between 4-10 members.
 
 
DO I HAVE TO COME WEEKLY?
 
There is no obligation to come weekly. Most people do however choose to attend 3 or 4 times a month.
 
My intention is to create a space that feels like home, so coming along feels like coming home – a joy and never a chore.
 
Being a member of The Soul Library is mostly a commitment to ourselves and our own healing process, so it’s a commitment that feels expansive and liberating, rather than restricting.
 
Consistency of attendance contributes to consistency in our healing, as we learn to stay loyal to ourselves beneath the inevitable internal and external fluctuations we experience.
 
The level of support, encouragement and integration of our conversations will be experienced more deeply with committed attendance.
I’M AN INTROVERT AND REALLY SHY IN GROUPS. HOW MUCH DO I HAVE TO TALK?
 

You would be free to share as little or as much as you’re comfortable with. Sharing is always an invitation and choice, never compulsory.

 

I’M REALLY BUSY & WORRIED I WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE READING EACH WEEK. HOW MUCH READING IS THERE?

We read the books at a really gentle, manageable pace. Usually 20-30 pages a week.

 

I’M LOOKING FOR A SHARING CIRCLE. HOW CLOSELY DO YOU STICK WITH THE BOOKS?

The books are a framework upon which the circles are structured. We extract themes and ideas from the books and then expand on those in relation to our own experience. 

The books are a gentle guide to contain our conversations, but we share on so much more than the text itself. We share our hearts, our lives, our wounds. We are in no way constricted by the words on the page.

 

ARE THE BOOKS RELIGIOUS?

No. We read books that explore healing on a psychological, spiritual and physiological level. Each individual is supported in finding their own unique tapestry of techniques and modalities that work for them.

 

IS IT ONLINE?

There are 4 different groups to choose from – 3 in-person, 1 online via Zoom.

Depending on your location and availability, you can choose which one suits you best.

WHAT BOOKS DO YOU READ?

All our books fall under the spiritual/ self-healing genre.
 
Each one is selected by the group from a poll.
 
In my current groups, we have read/ are reading:
 
• Women who Run with the Wolves – Clarissa Estes
 
• The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk
 
• When the Body Says No – Gabor Mate
 
• Radical Compassion – Tara Brach
 
• A Return to Love – Marianne Williamson
 
• Non-Violent Communication – Marshall Rosenberg
 
• The Wisdom Of Anxiety – Sheryl Paul
 
• The Untethered Soul – Michael Singer
 
• Discovering the Inner Mother: Healing the Mother Wound – Bethany Webster
 
• Belonging – Toko-pa Turner
 
•The Wise Heart – Jack Kornfield
 
• Becoming Safely Embodied – Deirdre Fay
 
• How to do the Work – Nicole LePera
 
• If Women Rose Rooted – Sharon Blackie
 
• It’s not Always Depression – Hilary Jacobs Hendel
 
• The Deep Heart – John Prendergast
 
• The Courage to be Disliked Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga 

A SAFE SPACE

The Soul Library is a safe space where we can drop our masks and truly be heard in our authentic self-expression.

The spaces I create are all lovingly crafted and trauma-informed, with some gentle guidelines to ensure everybody feels safe.

Most human interactions, even the most nurturing ones, are peppered with interruptions, interjections, opinions, judgements and advice. Even ‘well meaning’ advice.

In circle, we strip back these sticky layers of communication and remove it all. It becomes just us and our voices. Sharing and listening. Sharing and listening.

No interjections. No advice. No feedback.

We share our most vulnerable parts to enormous hearts, knowing eyes and silent lips, and in that space we feel seen. 

To be truly witnessed and to witness others is a delicately potent container for transformation. I don’t think I’d be here today had I not been introduced to circle magic.

We share only about our own experiences, being mindful of ‘I’ statements vs. ‘you’ statements, and we don’t offer any advice or feedback. This is a transformative space, not a prescriptive space.

We also refrain from interrupting when people are sharing, and are invited to be conscious of the length of time we speak, to ensure each member has equal time and space to share their voice.

“A circle of women may just be the most powerful force known to humanity. If you have one, embrace it. If you need one, seek it. If you find one, for the love of all that is good and holy, dive in. Hold on. Love it up. Let them see you. Let them hold you. Let your reluctant tears fall. Let yourself rise fierce and love gentle. You will be changed. The very fabric of your being will be altered by this, if you allow it. Please, please allow it.”  ∼ Jeannette LeBlanc

HOW TO JOIN

Membership of THE SOUL LIBRARY is priced at £25/ month.

There are only 10 spaces available in each circle.

IN-PERSON

 •  Monday 10-11.30am

open to people of all genders

 •  Wednesday 7.30-9pm

open to all who identify as women

 •  Sunday 10.30-12pm

open to all who identify as women

ONLINE

 • Monday 7.30-9pm

open to all who identify as women

New members are welcome when we start a new book, if we’re not at capacity.

Please email me for availability of spaces and for info on how to join.

Any questions at all, please just ask! Drop me an email here.